wow! I saw 2 episodes of the show for the first time last weekend, and there's a new episode tonight. I'm COMPLETELY addicted!! I may never get anything done!

according to wikipedia, the show is called Born Survivor: Bear Grylls in Britain.

Watching Bear escape the Everglades was AMAZING! My only complaint is that he has this annoying habit of looking to avoid /sidestep danger and confrontation. Just once, I'd like to see him go face to face, in combat, with every alligator , poinsonous snake, and gazelle that considers him to be its next meal.

AMAZING to watch him build a boat to get off the desert island. UNBELIEVEABLE to see him adrift at shore, in hopes for some ship somewhere, to spot him.

this goes right to the root of some of my biggest fears growing up. incredible to watch. I'm taking notes, so that the next time I'm in the middle of a desert with no food or water or way back, I'm PREPARED!

ow real a popular Discovery Channel show featuring a rugged survivalist dropped into inhospitable terrain with little else than a knife, a flint and his wits is, led the network on Tuesday to promise its "Man vs. Wild" would be "completely transparent."

The premise of "Man vs. Wild" is that Bear Grylls, 33, a former soldier with the British Special Air Service who climbed Mt. Everest at the age of 23, is dropped alone into a desolate area and supposed to find his way back to civilization, alone. An interview with an advisor to the show that appeared in the U.K. press over the weekend claimed Grylls occasionally spent the night in hotel rooms and received assistance from the crew. This led the Discovery Channel's parent company, Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications Inc., on Tuesday to change how the show is presented.

"Man vs. Wild is a how-to guide to basic survival techniques in extreme environments. We have learned that isolated elements of the show in some episodes were not natural to the environment, and that the crew and host received some assistance while in the field mainly for health and safety concerns," the network said.

On Sunday, Mark Weinert a survivalist expert who said he was hired as an advisor for the show told the U.K. Sunday Times some elements of "Man vs. Wild" were staged or choreographed. He said that in one episode, when Grylls was supposedly stranded on a deserted island, he was actually on an island in Hawaii and spent the night in a hotel.

According to Weinert, in one episode a raft that appeared to have been built by Grylls had been built earlier by the crew to make sure it worked, and was then disassembled. In another instance, Weinert said Grylls's supposed stumbling upon a group of wild horses was actually choreographed with the animals being trucked in earlier.

The interview prompted British network Channel 4, which broadcasts the show as Born Survivor: Bear Grylls, to open an investigation into the claims.

Following news of the Channel 4 investigation, and press accounts in the U.K. and U.S., the network appeared to stand behind the show and Grylls. Discovery made no mention of pulling the show, but said changes would be made to current episodes as well as those in rerun to avoid viewer confusion.

"Moving forward, the program will be completely transparent in its promotion and all elements of the filming will be explained to our viewers," the network said. "This will also apply to repeated programs which will be re-cut and include a disclaimer upfront. Bear Grylls is a world class adventurer and terrific talent."

The show has an audience estimated of around 1.6 million people according to Nielsen Media Research data. As one of the networks' more popular shows, it is uncertain what the impact the investigation and criticism will be.

David C. Joyce, a media analyst with Miller Tabak & Co. LLC, in New York, though said he felt Discovery could weather the public relations hit well.

"Whether he's sleeping in a hotel room, or under a deer pelt in the Scottish highlands, he's still showing people how to do it," Joyce said. "It doesn't help, but I think it's a non-event."

He said Discovery Communications has made marked improvement in righting its situation and an issue with one show should not have too drastic an impact..

"They have so many channels in the U.S. and internationally that one show, on one channel is really not going to hinder them in the long term," Joyce said.